The Washington Post and the U.S. edition of the Guardian each were awarded a Pulitzer Prize for public service for their coverage of secret surveillance by the National Security Agency, a decision that is likely to reignite debate over whether former government contractor Edward Snowden was a patriot or a traitor for his security leaks.

The staff of the Boston Globe, meanwhile, won a Pulitzer Prize for breaking news for its "exhaustive and empathetic coverage of the Boston Marathon bombings and the ensuing manhunt...